What is the main distinction between الْأَكْلُ and أَكَلَ?

Noun Patterns: Jāmid, Maṣdar, Mushtaq and 50 Basic-Triliteral Maṣdar Entries

• First is an imperative
• Both are passive participles
• First is a maṣdar, second a past verb
• Both are jāmid nouns